Global warming had been a 'hot topic' for years, but had been ignored by the Bush administration to the frustration of most members of the scientific community and to large segments of the general public. Mega-rich manufacturing companies didn't want to hear how they would have to minimize air pollution from their smoke-belching factories and invested millions of dollars in lobbying efforts to avoid it. Automobile manufacturers, in collusion with the oil industry, weren't interested in building cars that get get ninety miles per gallon, or that would last for twenty years or a million miles. Planned obsolesence was part of Detroit's marketing strategy that brainwashed people into believing they "needed" a new car every two or three years. Oil companies certainly weren't excited about cutting their petroleum revenues by 80% just so that car owners could save money and fewer vehicle emissions might help save the environment. For the past ten years, gas-guzzling SUVs were the "in" thing to buy. Mammoth, roomy trucks were one of the few sales bright spots in the big three American auto firms' usually dismal fiscal performances.
All over the world, governments continued to ignore scientists' warnings. Man-made accelerations of the natural global warming process had dire consequences. If modern civilization continued to pour 70 million tons of pollutants into the air every day, modern civilization would see itself become an endangered species by the end of the century.
Interim Vice-President John McCain had touched on it briefly in yesterday's impromptu television broadcast. Planet Earth was quickly becoming an ecological time bomb. The hurricane that had just ruined the eastern seaboard of the United States was a sign of things to come. More devastating hurricanes, massive flooding, and horrendous natural disasters could feasibly destroy the world's coast lines, killing millions - or maybe even billions - of people. Survivors would flee inland, creating overcrowded conditions in cities incapable of managing such an influx of new residents. Experts predicted with some degree of consistency that global warming was probably the #1 threat facing the planet today.
Still, every TV comedian had a barrage of jokes standing by whenever record cold temperatures infiltrated the country. "Well, so much for global warming," was a common response when temperatures turned frigid for a day or two. "Commentators" such as Rush Limbaugh pooh-poohed the idea of global warming having any ill effects on the Earth. "Experts" could be hired by industry lobbyists to "prove" the theory of global warming was an obtuse idea designed by scaremongers who were more interested in saving polar bears than promoting industrial expansion - and profit. Even Fox News "shouting head" Shawn Hannity had once stated that global warming was nothing more than a "liberal scare tactic" that was meaningless and groundless. Enivronmental alarmists were characterized as kooks, and the conservative-biased media used its own methods to convince their "ditto head" listeners and viewers that saving the environment was not necessary.
Still, in just the past two or three years, big business had begun to turn its thinking around. Not because of any concern over environmental issues, but because they viewed it as an opportunity to seize the moment and profit from those who believed in ecological causes. TV commercials portrayed giant agribusinesses as companies "who cared" about the land, and painted oil companies as protectors of the delicate ocean and tunra ecologies. Calming photos of dolphins peacefully swimming among inobtrusive oil-drilling platforms sanitized the reality of sea creatures being harmed by these dangerous oil rigs floating in the seas like giant steel versions of a kid's inflatable inner tube.
O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had killed off most oil company chief executives, and destroyed most oil company headquarters. Most wealthy automobile manufacturers had died, and their monolithic monuments to their own greatness had also been demolished. The mouthiest nay-sayers who opposed environmental do-gooders had all perished, as had their media home offices. Lobbyists and their prestigiously-named trade associations were gone.
Most of America's multi-millionaires and billionaires were dead. Only those who actually did good works with th
eir wealth had not been targeted by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. for annihilation. Among those mega-rich people still alive were Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. two of the world's most generous philanthropists. Now O.U.T.R.A.G.E. would approach these, and survivors like them, to financially support emergency programs to try and prevent, or at least reduce the impact of a coming global warming disaster. God knows the United States of America was ill-prepared to deal with any more carnage; it would take years to recover from catastrophic events of the past three months.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008: John McCain stepped before the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. cameras for an impromptu address to the nation. "I want to talk about Article XIV," he said, "a resolution to expand our Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA. This resolution was passed by an ovewhelming majority of the voters last month, and we are making important strides in doing the people's bidding. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. has created a special panel composed of scientists and laymen whose job it is to determine a specific direction for the revitalized EPA programs. We have invited nations from around the globe to participate in this venture, and many have sent delegates to serve on this panel. Since the beginning of this new century, the scientific community has warned us that global warming is a real threat to our planet, and if we don't do something within the next few years it might be too late to do anything. In 2003, I co-authored bipartisan legislation called the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act. Wholly endorsed by the Environmental Defense Global Warming Action Network, it was a revolutionary market-based approach to reducing pollution first introduced by that group.
Using that bill as a catalyst, we have asked this panel of more than 75 individuals to help formulate programs that will quickly establish new guidelines for the protection and preservation of that delicate ecological balance between man, plants and all other animals. We will devise innovative ways to recycle virtually everything we now dispose of in landfills. The long-range goal is to make this a world-wide action effort that will enhance our living conditions and prevent the disasters that might come from global warming. Many experts believe the tragic hurricane that recently destroyed much of America's eastern coast cities was a direct result of global warming - and, if we don't respond quickly, more such storms will become commonplace in the near future.
The EPA, while remaining a federal agency of the United States government, will be structured without the nefarious strings so common in slumbrous bureaucracies. We see it as free exchanges of data and and information, a compilation of ideas, and a loose-knit, flexible organization capable of moving swiftly toward solid resolutions for the betterment of all mankind. Please join in this undertaking. The addresses on the screen are where you can send letters, e-mails, or text messages. Your input is, indeed, important to this work. We have wasted too much time already neglecting this vital issue; as your duly-elected interim Vice-President, I am urging immediate action begin on this problem - perhaps the most significant challenge facing all of mankind today."
McCain walked away from the camera, and a pre-scheduled program about global warming began, followed by an airing of 'An Inconvenient Truth", a movie developed by former Vice-President Al Gore two years earlier. The movie had not been a box-office success, but had received strong accolades from the scientific community for its accuracy and honesty about global warming.
Within an hour, the newly-formed panel was deluged with e-mails and text messages, almost all in favor of taking action now to prevent global warming. One O.U.T.R.A.G.E. member expressed surprise, on camera, saying, "If George Bush and Rush Limbaugh were still alive, this would be a non-issue. The environment simply wasn't important to Republicans. Profit, war, and winning seemed to be their only goals."
This was just one more sign of psychological changes taking place within the American psyche. Hubris, avarice, selfishness, and gluttony were being replaced by more valuable traits of humility, allotment, selflessness, and humanity.

Earthquakes can cause dramatic changes in geography, culture, and economies. The humongous 9.4 quake that jolted Los Angeles on March 15 changed the 'City of Angels' forever. One noticeable immediate effect had to do with the metropolitan population of the entire Los Angeles County region. Still unable to provide an accurate count, County coroners knew that hundreds of thousands - perhaps more than a million - had perished. Because there was suddenly no viable means of earning a living, many illegal immigrants who survived the disaster were heading back across the border, going back to Mexico where - at least - they were not living in squalor among the streets of L.A. Everything had been obliterated, from the most impoverished slums to the most elegant million-dollar mansions. The downtown district was leveled. More than two weeks after the quake, bodies were still being pulled fromthe rubble, and the stench of death was overwhelming the city. The mayor had declared martial law, ordering police to shoot looters on sight and "ask questions later". Stores had been demolished so completely, it was rare that looters could actually access the buildings to get at merchandise or food anyway. Everything had been destroyed. The 1994 Northbridge, California earthquake had created an estimated $40 billion worth of property damage; estimates of damage in this 2008 quake were conservatively being projected to top $400 billion, though some experts were predicting in excess of a trillion dollars in damages.
Gone were all the movie studios and Hollywood attractions. L.A.'s freeway system was nothing more than leveled ribbons of crumpled concrete, unable to accommodate any mode of transportation. Most cars were destroyed anyway, as was the LAX airport, the relatively new L.A. public transit system, and most city buses.
Much like the bomb blasts that rocked L.A. and other cities in January, earthquakes radiated destruction as seismic waves burst from the underground hypocenter. A "P" wave is a fast wave generated by a fault rupturing. Compression stretches rock, and a quake's immediate 'punch' is felt. "S" waves, much slower but usually more powerful, follow, ripping buildings and highways into rubble as the earth below them turns to the consistency of quicksand. Scientists who were studying the results of the quake were moot, but feared for the worst: among themselves, they worried that another quake of similar magnitude could strike at any moment. It seemed redundant to warn the public about such unfounded fears while people were still reeling from the current tragedy.
As with Hurricane Katrina just three years earlier in New Orleans, construction safeguards and so-called government protections were woefully inadequate. Government agencies were terribly underprepared. Pompous officials, who bragged about the safety and security of the programs they had spent millions of taxpayers dollars to implement, were strangely silent as they looked on in horror to see the havoc that had been inflicted. It was clearly obvious that no amount of government money or effort could stand up to the forces of Mother Nature. That, in turn, made it clearly obvious that most of the things government did was unecessary and useless. It was all blind promises that politicians could make, under the assumption that they'd never have to 'prove' they were right or wrong. No one was safe from natural disasters. No one was safe from man-made bombs that could be detonated with a simple cell phone. Technology was man's nemesis.
Elected officials seized hundreds of billions of dollars from taxpayers to make them feel safe and secure. It now was evident that it was all a scam. Man must recognize that he has to live with risk.

Spring showers pelted most of the country on the last day of March, 2008. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members worked methodically and rescue operations across the country continued furiously. Reminiscent of the devastation that Hurricane Katrina had wreaked on New Orleans in 2005, the search-and-rescue work seemed to move at a snail's pace. In 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) had been severely criticized for its incompetency and slow reaction time; a year later, many New Orleans residents were still displaced and the city was still in tatters. On the first anniversary date of the storm, President George Bush visited the city, promoting his political puffery and valueless verbage about all the money his administration had thrown at the problem. Even the black Mayor of New Orleans vocally rallied against all the new "white" developments that were being planned, which he feared would minimize New Orleans' diversity and colorful culture. His city was about to become the 'Las Vegas of the South' as developers planned high-rise casinos and five-star hotels, mostly to be built using federal grant money and funds allocated for "disaster relief". The poor black neighborhoods would be bulldozed over and those cheerful people who called New Orleans their home would have to fend for themselves in other cities around the South. In the capitalist world of George Bush there was no room for impoverished people, welfare recipients (unless, of course, you were a huge multi-billion-dollar corporation applying for government tax breaks or low-cost financing), and those without wealth, status, power, or position.
Now, FEMA had been reduced to an impotent agency unable to participate in the devastation now facing America. Governors and mayors suddenly recognized they couldn't depend on government hand-outs to help them; they would have to find ways to bail themselves out of their local disaster plights. It was the first lesson in self-sufficiency, all part of an O.U.T.R.A.G.E. plan that would reduce the federal government to a slight shell of its former self. No longer would txpayers send all their money to Washington, where crazy politicians would dole it out recklessly and irresponsibly. Money would now stay in local communities, where it could be stockpiled, invested, and used as necessary at the local and regional levels. It no longer mde sense to send all those billions of dollars to Washington just so Washington could decide when - and if - they should send it back to you. The federal government was going to be put on a fiscal diet designed to cut out the obesity and bloatedness that had infested it for decades.
One of the most vociferous, vile examples of the wastrel the Bush administration had become was also a blatant exhibit of how the corporate world and the world of government had become too entertwined. The late Vice-President Dick Cheney had been a chief executive at Halliburton, an 86-year-old company that suddenly found itself swimming in a pool of excessive profits once Cheney became Vice-President and the illegal war in Iraq began. In the fall of 2003, Cheney proudly announced on 'Meet the Press" that, "Since I left Halliburton to become George Bush's vice-president, I've severed all of my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interest. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind." Cheney overlooked the fact that he'd been given a $1.4 million cash bonus just prior to assuming the Vice-Presidency. He also failed to mention his $20 million severance package after serving as Halliburton's CEO for just five years. He apparently forgot about the $205,298 Halliburton paid him in 2001; the $162,392 he received in 2002; the $178,437 given to him in 2003; and, perhaps he didn't even know at that time about the $194,852 he would receive in 2004 or the $211,465 he'd get in 2005.
Halliburton, on the other hand, was happier than a pig in shit. Since 2001, the company had received more than $15 billion in government contracts, much of it flooding into company coffers once the Iraq war began in earnest. Apparently it was perfectly acceptble for the company to charge American taxpayers $50 a day for workers whom the company paid 50 cents an hour, or six bucks for 12-hour day. Apparently it was perfectly acceptable for taxpayers to pay Halliburton $45 for a case of soft drinks and $100 for washing a bag of the government's dirty laundry. When Senator Patrick Leahy aired more dirty laundry on the Senate floor in 2004, criticizing Cheney's ongoing ties to Halliburton, Cheney's public response - on the record - was, 'Go fuck yourself!"
The Bush administration had taken its lust for power and control to extremes. In May, 1999, when George W. Bush was still Governor of Texas, he responded to some well-rounded criticims by saying, "There ought to be limits to freedom."
Since 2000, the Bush administration had made great strides in taking away Americans' rights and freedoms. Bush manipulated the lethargic American media by leaking information he wanted released, but angrily tried to censor news reports which he wanted kept secret. Lying to the American public was commonplace. Arrogant, flummoxed, jumbled remarks became a trademark of George Bush's lack of any intelligence or dignity. He was nothing more than a spoiled, rich-kid cowboy who'd ended up in the White House because of his daddy's money, power and influence. Without the family support, George W. Bush couldn't have been elected dogcatcher in a canine-free Texas township. He spoke with a stammer, often making incomplete and nonsensical "statements". Even more so than the satirical beating President Gerald Ford took over his clumsiness, George Bush was portrayed on late-night comedy shows as a simple buffoon, incapable of forming complete sentences. Clearly, behind-the-scenes power brokers were pulling George Bush's strings. Clearly, George Bush was clueless as to what he was supposed to do as President and Commander-In-Chief of the greatest super power on Earth. A poster boy for little-pecker syndrome, Bush loved to swagger around on an aircraft carrier in a flak-jacket, pretending to be a military leader. In fact, had George W. Bush ever had to face fighting on the front lines of Iraq with real weapons loaded with real ammunition, his immediate needs for changes of underwear might have justified Halliburton's $100 fee for laundry services. Bush was more a devout coward than he was a born-again Christian.
The hundreds of thousands of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members who mingled in small 'cells' around the nation in 2005, 2006, and 2007, firmly believed in the 'Rebellion of '08' as necessary and, as the only way to annihilate the evil atrocities George Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld and a cowardly, incompetent, corrupt U.S. Congress had implemented. The U.S.A. needed to return to a nation of honor, integrity and morality. Wealthy elitists, corrupt politicians, special interest groups, big business power, lobbyists, wicked celebrities, and those whose demented influences had made them rich at the expense of America's moral decay had to be killed. It was the only way to keep the cancer from spreading. Now America could return to being a nation of peace-loving, decent, respectable, honest, moral citizens. This was not about religion or spirituality; those were individual matters of the soul. This was about humanity and civility, something that the animal kingdom seemed to understand much better than the raucous, raunchy society of homosapiens who had elevated killing, cheating, stealing, lying, and all kinds of other baleful maliciousness to new levels of bizarre consciousness.
To the satisfaction of millions, and to the horror of many more millions, the Bush administration, a vitiated U.S. Congress, and many of America's greediest, wealthiest, sleaziest celebrities and most powerful people were dead. All over the world, there had been vivid celebrations marking the end of an obtuse reign of terror that George Bush had inflicted upon billions of people. In some places, those celebratory dances were still going on, 75 days after the massacres. While many countries were sending aid for hurricane and earthquake victims, many of those same nations' leaders were quietly rejoicing that the George Bush "evil empire" had finally come to an end. Nuclear weapons of mass destruction didn't seem quite so important now that the schoolyard bully had been eliminated. Perhaps the idea of world peace wasn't so far-fetched afterall. Scrutiny of this O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization seemed to confirm its intentions were straight-forward and honorable. This was no grab for power of the world's greatest nation; it was a well-devised plan to make America a better citizen of the global community. Even Colin Powell, the interim President, had made a public apology to the world.
Tomorrow was April 1st; no doubt some in American society were hoping to wake up and discover this had all been one cruel April Fools' hoax. Millions of Americans, however, looked with admiration toward O.U.T.R.A.G.E. and staunchly supported its agenda of peace, equality and humility.

On Tuesday, November 6, 2001, a British journalist and BBC commentator, Greg Palast, aired a startling interview that should have created uproars in the United States. Unfortunately, the lethargic American media paid scant attention to the BBC broadcast, resulting in few American citizens even knowing anything about it. Less than 60 days after the September 11 explosions that brought down the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York City, Palast reported that U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and the FBI, were ordered to "back off" investigating the binLadens and members of the Saudi royal families, even though there was strong evidence linking them to the 9-11 disaster.
As part of the program, Palast declared: "[George W.] Bush made his first million twenty years ago with an oil company partly funded by Salem binLaden's chief U.S. representative. Young George also received fees as director of a subsidiary of Carlyle Corporation, a little-known private company which has, in just a few years of its founding, become one of America's biggest defence contractors. His father, [George H.W.] Bush Senior, is also a paid advisor. And what became embarrassing was the revelation that the binLadens held a stake in Carlyle, sold just after September 11."
The Carlyle Group, headquartered in Washington, D.C., on Pennsylvania Avenue, midway between the White House and the Capitol Building, had been founded shortly after George H.W. Bush left office as America's 41st President. Joining Bush in the new business venture were former Secretary of Defense Carlucci, former Secretary of State Baker, and former White House Budget Director Darman. Reportedly, a primary investment of over $2.5 million came from the binLaden family of Saudi Arabia. Immediately after the 9-11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, prominent Saudi citizens in the United States were flown out of the country by private government jets. As Carlyle Group investors watched the drama unfold from their suite at the Ritz-Carlton where the annual investors' conference was being held, the Group's prospects went up as the Twin Towers went down, resulting in the Carlyle Group to amass more than $12 billion in funds under its management.
Such blatant disregard for ethical conduct, and such unsubtle conflicts of interest, seemed not to disturb the Bush family or the Saudi families involved in this scandalous business arrangement.
President George W. Bush and his handlers quickly manipulated the tragedy into an excuse to invade Iraq, although there was no credible evidence that Iraq had anything to do with 9-11. Bush had a personal vendetta against Saddam Hussein, whom he believed had humiliated his father during Desert Storm; Dick Cheney, whom many believed to be the rel power behind the Bush administration, wanted all of Iraq's oil so he and his friends at Exxon-Mobil, Halliburton, and other mega-corporations could get richer and richer and richer. Osama binLaden, suspected mastermind of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, was soon forgotten about. President Bush had vowed to capture binLaden, "dead or alive". Less than a year later, Bush reversed himself and publicly stated, "I don't know where (binLaden) is; I -I'll repeat what I said, 'I truly am not that concerned about him'." In fact, the only American force strategically and specifically formed to hunt down binLaden was unceremoniously dismantled in December, 2005 after spending millions of taxpayer money trying to track down this tall, handsome, brilliant nomadic leader of a gang of rag-tag terrorists hiding in Afghan and Pakistani caves. In the uproar over the 9-11 bombings, the Bush administration was initially able to raise public and Congressional support for the invasion of Iraq, even though it made no sense. As the war drudged on, and more lives were lost including thousands of American soldiers, the public and Congress began having second thoughts about the Bush war-mongering. A Republican-dominated House and Senate was not going to impeach or even censure George W. Bush. Apparently, his turncoat activities weren't worth spending millions of taxpayer dollars on such proceedings; Republicans, of course, didn't mind spending millions of dollars to impeach Bill Clinton for lying to Congress about enjoying oral sex with a White House intern. Clinton's actions were an embarrassment to the country; what Bush did put taxpayers trillions of dollars into debt for generations to come, tarnished America's reputation as a world leader and global peacekeeper, and started the U.S.A. on a slippery slope toward becoming a third-rate world super power.
George H.W. Bush was once the Director of the CIA. He held close ties to the Saudis, as well as comfortable connections within the Chinese communist government. In her revealing book entitled 'The Family", published in 2004, author Kitty Kelley
masterfully outlined the real truth behind the Bush family dynasty and evidenced the destructive nature of how one family could become so deeply entrenched in American progress. Neither one of them possessing any signs of superior intelligence, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush had become the only father-son team of U.S. Presidents since the Adams family in the early days of the new nation. Looking back, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were now beginning to demonstrate to American citizens how the two Bush Presidents had both conveniently arranged wars in Iraq for one sole reason: oil profits. As a complement to such a convenience, Bush allies in within the military-industrial complex also reaped billions in war profiteering. Financed by portions of those oil and war profits funneled into their campaign coffers, Bush I and Bush II were easily able to "win" elections, even if it meant recruiting the help of another Bush politico, Jeb, to help "steal" an election that rightfully should have gone to Al Gore, who won the popular vote.
It was the outrageous Bush actions that became the catalyst for the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization. Members of this revolutionary group recognized that the only way to save the body was to amputate the cancerous limb. In collusion with the most corrupt, evil, incompetent, cowardly, arrogant U.S. Congress in American history, the Bush administration had managed to icur the wrath of hundreds of thousands of honest, decent citizens. Citizens who had joined forces to secretly begin a second American revolutionary war. Now O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had successfully completed the first stage of its mission by killing off hundreds of thousands of greedy corporate executives, arrogant celebrities, corrupt politicians, and evil members of the elite groups who wielded so much power and influence over America. The Bush administration had overstepped its bounds, and no longer could U.S. residents stand by and do nothing. Collectively, they had killed off the cancer in virtually a matter of minutes on Thursday, January 17, 2008. The healing process would take much, much longer.
The work continued around the country and around the clock. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members in the field toiled tirelessly. Homeless people across America searched desperately for food, clothing and shelter while others in areas unaffected by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. explosions or natural disasters continued with their lives as normally as they could. Rescue teams and hospital personnel continued with their duties. Volunteers from all over America's heartland were still streaming into the areas devastated by hurricanes and earthquakes. Clean-up crews were still removing wreckage and debris from sites that had been bombed two months ago. Everything was coming together, but not nearly as quickly as everything had fallen apart.
Saturday and Sunday were fairly uneventful days. Tomorrow was Monday, March 31, 2008. The last day of the third month of the new year; a year that would surely become one of profundity for the United States of America.

Continued dialog on Saturday morning seemed to rachet upward as more O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members participated in the television processes. More and more public participation was also forthcoming as citizens offered their input, called in their comments, and prepared their own remarks to be broadcast across the nation. As in any melting pot, there were various ingredients, concocting a stew of ideas and alternative thoughts. From the serious to the ridiculous, from the sublime to the sensational, ideas were brought forward, and out of this cornucopia of conversation, a new national philosophy was beginning to take shape. There was surprisingly little argument or dispute as everyone cordially listened to everyone else's comments without judgment or prejudice. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. moderators served as referees whenever anything got out of hand, or whenever the possibility of an uprising reared.
The O.U.T.R.A.G.E. revolutionaries had destroyed the country, and - with the unwelcomed assistance of a major hurricane and a record-breaking earthquake - were now working diligently to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. The process was tedious, sometimes tiring, and often thought by some to be an impossible task. Still, as the hours drawled on, people crawled in to offer their input and help formulate a new government. Especially attentive to these proceedings were Colin Powell and John McCain, who had less than eight months in which to prepare a nation for a new election, replacing a government administration and an entire United States Congress. These two men also shouldered the final responsibility for renewing urban areas destroyed by bombs, hurricanes and eathquakes. They were charged with trying to unite a divided populace, and implementing a new form of government that would truly be of the people, for the people and by the people.
At the same time, Powell and McCain were busily engaged in attempts at restoring the U.S.A. international status as a world leader and global peacekeeper while humbly accepting humanitarian aid from countless other nations, something the U.S. wasn't used to doing. They were juggling a lot of balls in the air, and even the most subtle slip could result in throwing things out of balance. Still, the two seemed to working in absolute harmony as things proceeded almost flawlessly across the country and around the world.
In one segment, McCain was talking about terrorism in very frank terms. "We can't stop terrorism," he claimed, "by using terrorists tactics. Today's terrorist has operative cells all over the world. If we destroy one, another emerges. Instead of fighting fire with fire, I believe it's time to begin using a little honey to catch flies." While many disagreed, it was evident that the Bush administration's tactics had failed miserably, killing tens of thousands of innocent women and children, as well as 10,000 U.S. soldiers. George W. Bush had decided to become the world's big bully, and all the other kids in the world's playgrounds had decided they weren't going to be pushed around anymore. There had been half-a-dozen 'terrorist' events around the world in the past two years since a plot at Heathrow Airport had been foiled, including one at an airport in Philadelphia in July, 2007 that resulted in thirteen people dead and dozens injured from an explosion that was meant to go off as a plane taxied to its gate. Something malfunctioned, and the bomb went off before the plane reached the gate; those killed and injured were airport personnel and those inside the terminal.
"George W. Bush was wrong," McCains stated emphatically. "He only fueled the flames, and helped make this world more of agiant incendiary device. We must learn to live with each other in unison and peace; otherwise, we will not survive as a species." Some were astonished by the remarks of a former Republican senator and former prisoner-of-war. His emphasis, however, could not be denied; even the most staunch war-mongers realized that war was no longer an answer. War was not a deterent. War was becoming a way of life in the world. We had fought "wars" on poverty, "wars" on drugs, and "wars' for freedom. Now it was time to fight a "war" on war. Only by persuading all government leaders of all nations on Earth to stop fighting would the world survive. The United States of America would have to play a leading role in this new venture.

Friday was another uneventful day as O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members continued their work and continued to feed television broadcasts to viewers around the country. It was hard to describe the plethora of information that was being imparted. Each hour brought something new to the screen, as discussions covered a broad range of topics. Some O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members held round-table discussions about how to add more political parties to America's political system, eliminating the stranglehold now enjoyed by the Republicans and Democrats, neither of which truly represented the people anymore. There was lively oration on how to quell the hubris and avarice that all-too-often infects those with power, wealth and status.
One interesting "program" that had been played multiple times over the past few weeks had been the result of a question from a 15-year-old Oklahoma girl who called in to ask, "Why are we afraid of terrorists?" A rhetorical reply had been formulated, then broadcast:
"We're afraid of terrorists for the same reasons they're afraid of us; for the same reasons white people are afraid of black people; for the same reasons Christians are afraid of Muslims; for the same reasons rich people are afraid of poor people; for the same reasons a young, beautiful high school girl is afraid of her not-so-beautiful classmate; for the same reasons big, powerful nations with weapons of mass destruction don't want smaller nations to have their own nuclear weapons of mass destruction; for the same reasons George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were afraid of their own shadows; for the same reasons a scientific community which believes in evolution is afraid of a religious community which believes in creationism; for the same reasons we'd all be scared out of our wits if this planet was ever attacked by a more advanced, superior civilization of extra-terrestrials with the intelligence and technologies to travel billions of light years to reach Earth.
So we learn to bully others; avoid those who aren't like us; deman those whom we don't consider to be our 'equals'; and fight to protect ourselves by whom we feel threatened. It's all a matter of trust. We don't trust terrorists, they don't trust us. We'd rather live with restricitons upon our own personal freedoms than risk living with risk.
We're afraid of our own shortcomings and flaws. Whatever it is (that we believe makes us superior to others) also causes us to be afraid of those we consider inferior. Instead of trying to reach a commonality and come to understand that we're all really a lot more 'equal' than we care to admit, we allow our fears to fester into hatred, bigotry, jealousy and war.
Hatred begets hatred. Bigotry begets bigotry. Jealouy begets jealousy. War begets war.
We fear the unknown.......be afraid....be VERY afraid."
The fifteen minute program had become one of the more popular O.U.T.R.A.G.E. segments as noted psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors joined in the discussion, offering their professional explanations as to this phenomena. Perhaps Dr. Joyce Brothers explained it most succinctly when she joined the forum. "Many middle-aged men have become financially successful, often through nothing more than the luck of the draw. As their success escalates, some of these multi-millionaires and billionaires can't get rid of one nagging question in the back of their minds. 'Why ME?' Their success - and the reason for it - becomes an evil obsession, particularly among men who have inherited great wealth without ever really doing anything to earn it. While most deal with it rationally, and find useful or productive outlets, some men fear that they'll be 'found out' - that someday people will recognize that they are nothing special, nothing even noteworthy. This inner fear drives some men to extreme, dangerous, reckless behavior, which ultimately destroys their lives. Many turn to addictions, such as alcohol, drugs, sex or gambling. Others try a bravado approach, such as driving high-powered race cars, flying, or mountain-climbing. Sadly, some also mire themselves in pedophilia or the seamy world of transvestites. Why do you think rich men are willing to pay $2,500 for a 'golden shower'? They want to be humiliated, as a means of expressing regret for the circumstances of their financial success. Few people deal with 'instant' wealth well; few people can deal with wealth that was bestowed upon them without working for it. While women deal with it better by lavishing fur coats, expensive vacations, jewelry and clothes on themselves, they, too, can be dramatically disaffected by wealth the didn't earn. They take on numerous young lovers - gigolos, if you will - as they desperately search for 'true love'. Paris Hilton is a notable example of such excess. Two years ago she publicly announced a 'sabbatical' from sex, only to be discovered with a ring of young boys she kept in her New York mansion as virtual sex slaves, available to her at her whimsical bidding. It's this kind of excess that the members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. believe has led to the descent of American civility, morality and purpose."
Indeed, that was one of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. objectives: to bring American citizens back to the reality of decency and respect.
There was still much healing to be done.

As it happened, Thursday, March 27, 2008, was an uneventful day in the course of so many astonishing events. Baker and Oetting were at the St. Kitts O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters at sunrise, after sleeping off their celebratory evening at St. Timothy's Beach Resort, across from the Shiggity Shack, which had been the scene of their drunken decadence. The work at O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters couldn't stop just because two members took a "breather".
On Election Day, March 4, 2008, voters had voted in favor of all twenty-five resolutions that had been introduced since January 23. Each resolution had been written into formal, legal language before the election. Voters had seen final drafts before they voted. Each resolution had ended with the same tagline, specifying that it would not become "official" law until after the November elections. Only at that time would there be a newly-elected U.S. Congress, a newly-elected U.S. President and Vice-President, and newly-appointed cabinet members and assorted government bureaucracies. In this interim period, there was, quite frankly, no real government. The country was pretty much running itself, thanks in large part to state and local authorities who had assumed responsibilities for much of the work previously performed by the federal government. While the danger of a hostile takeover was always a possibility, it was not imminent. Outside nations seemed to recognize that the United States was not vulnerable; while the ship might be rudderless for the time being, it was being masterfully steered through turbulent waters with the help of its citizens.
Millions of people had died. Millions more were injured. Millions more were emotionally scarred for life. Yet a strange force seemed to be pulling everyone together, as if everyone understood this severe strike to America's psyche was a setback, not a death blow. Suddenly, Britney Spears' love life, the bitter ongoing battle between Tom Cruise and Paramount Studios, and the marriage of Jennifer Aniston to Brad Pitt were inconsequential. Suddenly, the kind of house one lived in, or the kind of car one drove, or the value of one's portfolio seemed insignificant. Suddenly, the color of one's skin, one's religious or sexual persuasion, or one's position within the community was not important. What was important was the rebuilding and rebirth of a nation. Clearing away the debris, healing the injured, recovering and burying the dead were priorities. Never before since the days of the American Revolution had the country's national spirit and resolve been better tested. The 'Rebellion of '08' had brought Americans together for a common goal; implementing that goal would take time, courage, unity, and love.

Cracks were beginning to show in the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. infrastructure. As large as the organization was, it still found itself overwhelmed by the magnitude of work that now had to be done. From the beginning, members were confident they had sufficient resources to deal with the aftermath of their January explosions; they could not have imagined the nation being devastated by such powerful forces of nature in such short succession. Around the country, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. crews were under enormous pressure to begin the process of rebuilding the government; now they were also being pressed into service to help with the country's recovery from two natural disasters. One thing that suffered most severely was the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. "press corps". Those volunteers skilled in the art of broadcasting and reporting were feeding news back to the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters in St. Kitts. Unfortunately, some of those reports had proved to be erroneous.
One of the most fallacious reports had been broadcast two days ago when O.U.T.R.A.G.E. reported the deaths of Ron Oetting and Phil Baker in bizarre circumstances hundreds of miles apart. The two close friends had purportedly been killed in separate accidents: Baker had died on his pig farm in Iowa; Oetting had died delivering O.U.T.R.A.G.E. materials to an Amish farmer in Indiana. Both reports had been misreported. The victim in Iowa was one of Baker's field hands, also with the last name of Baker (but no relation); the victim in Indiana had gone to the Amish farm as a last-minute replacement for Oetting, who had been called away on other O.U.T.R.A.G.E. business. The misidentification occurred because the literature still had Oetting's business card stapled to it. It was a double-twisted bit of fate: both friends were presumed dead, yet both had been the victims of mistaken identity. It was the kind of sensatory fantasmical phenomenon that only happened in books and movies. Such coincidence couldn't have ever happened in real life.....or could it? When you thought about it, Oetting and Baker had both been pretty good at beating the odds most of their decadent lives.
There had been other inaccurate reports, but none quite so freakish.
Baker and Oetting were flown to St. Kitts where they appeared on an O.U.T.R.A.G.E. segment expressing regret for the loss of two other individuals, and making light of their own untimely demise.
It had been decided that the media responsibilities needed to be more structured. Concerns about incorrect information being reported as fact were taken seriously at O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters. For too many years, the American public had been deluged with information 'planted' by the government and passed off as truth. While O.U.T.R.A.G.E. prided itself on its lack of hierarchy and organizational structure, it also became apparent that there needed to be some sort of control over what was being broadcast, published and televised to the general public. Freedom of the press was only as good as the integrity in which it resided. The Bush administration had tried to control the press, censoring what it didn't want reported and leaking information it wanted released. Oetting and Baker, with their respective journalism and marketing skills, were quickly recruited to spearhead the management of all press activity prior to its being aired or published by O.U.T.R.A.G.E.
In the huge building which had served as the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters, a small "press room" was set up. Oetting and Baker celebrated their new unpaid positions with typical predictability: they asked Smokey, their driver, to take them to an oceanfront rag-tag bar called the Shiggity-Shack and got drunk. While Baker and Oetting sat on the beach sipping Bushwhackers, one of St. Kitts' frequent instant thundershowers popped up. The two inebriated celebrants didn't move to shelter; instead they let the rain water down their drinks, knowing the shower would end in less than five minutes.
Once the rain clouds disappeared, the two men witnessed, through familiar blurred vision, one of nature's most beautiful sunsets and as an orange fireball quickly was swallowed up by the sea. It was Wednesday, March 26, 2008. What would happen tomorrow?

The late President George W. Bush was fighting battles on three fronts in the summer of 2006. He was dealing with an ever-unpopular war in Iraq, an erratic conflict betwen Israel and Lebanon, and the possibility of having to go to war with Iran. His most difficult battle, however, was the one at home: Americans were becoming more and more disillusioned by the illusions and sleight-of-hand tricks Bush used to gain political advantage or enhance his personal integrity. In August, 2006 a plot to blow up airplanes leaving London's Heathrow Airport enroute to the U.S.A. was purportedly foiled. Although some believed it to be a 'terrorist act' fabricated by the Bush administration, the incident did manage to boost Bush's sagging approval ratings. By August 22, 42% of Americans approved of his performance; while not a stellar rating, it was several points above what it had been for most of the year. Politically, Bush needed to enhance his numbers if he was to be any help at all during the upcoming mid-term elections which were crucial to many Republicans seeking re-election. Bush held an unprecedented 56-minute press conference where he touted his resolve to "stay the course" in Iraq. "We will not withdraw from Iraq," he barked, "as long as I'm the President. To leave Iraq now would be a disaster!" Many thought the Iraq 'war' was already a disaster, but Bush handlers obviously felt he couldn't afford to back down. To save face, he would continue to allow U.S. soldiers to be killed in Iraq. The Bush line about bringing democracy to Iraq was wearing thin; it became evident to more Americans that such honorable intentions weren't the objective. When Bush told the media America couldn't leave Iraq until "the job is done", savvy observers saw through his veil. "The job" was to attain rights to all of Iraq's oil; it had nothing to do with democracy or freeing an oppressed people. In fact, Iraqi citizens were safer under dictator Saddam Hussein's brutal rule than they were under the American occupation of their country. By the end of 2006, more than 3,000 soldiers had died in the service to their country, all for what many Americans believed to be nothing more than a political sham.
By 2008, ten thousand U.S. soldiers had lost their lives in Iraq. There had been two major eruptions in 2007 which included a vicious nighttime attack on a U.S. base which killed almost 1,000 soldiers in one fell swoop. These men were preparing to go home - in fact, they were less than a week away from being shipped back to the States after having been in the center of the conflict for almost three years. These were young men whose leaves had been cancelled and whose tours of duty had been extended , and who had been ordered to remain in Iraq. A second attack just four months later left over 800 soldiers dead when an air strike by Iraqi insurgents bombed U.S. troops traveling in a convoy in the deserts of northern Iraq. Over 5,000 other soldiers would die in sporadic skirmishes which would leave four or five or twenty or fifty dead at a time. The fighting was escalating, and now Bush was sending troops into Iran for the same political and economic purpose: oil.
O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had methodically begun making plans in early 2006. A 'secret society' that had managed to remain 'secret', even though it ultimately involved hundreds of thousands of individuals, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was now a force to be reckoned with as it went about the business of rebuilding and reforming the United States of America.

These were days of immense pressure on members of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. as they tried to deal with restructuring the federal government, organizing a fall election, and also the devastation caused by two calamaties they could not possibly have planned for: a massive east coast hurricane and a record-breaking west coast earthquake. Those two incidents occurring in such proximity after the carnage from the January bombings had created a new sense of urgency: things had to get done expeditiously in order to prevent panic, rioting, or maybe even an all-out civil war.
All over the country O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were working 'round the clock trying to hold the remnants of a terribly tattered union together. Some compared their plight to that of Abraham Lincoln's as he toiled under extreme pressure trying not to let a young nation rip itself part. On many, the intensity was taking its toll.
On Tuesday, February 26, a small town newspaper publisher, Ron Oetting, had introduced Article XXV, a resolution that urged the United States to apologize to the world. It was the last resolution introduced before the interim elections were held on March 4, 2008. Oetting's weekly community paper had been the only newspaper in the country to endorse Ross Perot for President in 1996. One of Oetting's most cherished memories was when he'd been invited to present a framed copy of the paper to Mr. Perot. "Meeting Ross Perot was a highlight of my life," Oetting had once told his good friend, Phil Baker. Oetting had written countless commentaries criticizing the federal government during the fifteen years he owned his newspaper. His remarks were not received well in the small Indiana town where he lived, and which was full of staunch dyed-in-the-wool Republicans. Ironically, he had even published a 'prototype' tabloid newspaper called "OUTRAGE" which he wanted to publish on a quarterly basis, but the lack of funds and an even further lack of serious ambition always seemed to prevent the project from moving forward, as was the case with most of Oetting's pipedreams. His head was full of ideas, but even he admitted that having ideas didn't mean anything if you didn't have the resources or tencity to implement them. As a diversion, he and Baker whiled away hours of their days at one of three local pubs, where they had become known as "the Bobsey twins". Other than Sundays, hardly a day went by when the two didn't meet for lunch, converge on a bar for afternoon 'cocktails', or spend an raucous evening in inebriated debauchery of some sort. For years, the same old jokes, even more staled by the stench of cigarette smoke and beer, seemed to keep a new barfly or an old 'regular' laughing. The scene was their own small-town version of Billy Joel's "Piano Man". The two had an affinity for telling each others' jokes and - even after a thousand hearings - managing to laugh at each other and themselves as amused patrons and bartenders looked on with bewildered postulation, assuming both men were on their way to la-la-land.
Baker had taken early retirement, having moved to an Iowa farm where he seemed content to milk cows, feed pigs, and bail hay with his wife, Janie. Oetting, who had walked away from a shattered marriage in 2002, consoled himself with writing delusional memoirs and fantasized blogs that never seemed to end, much less ever get published. Oetting was approached about O.U.T.R.A.G.E. in 2006, and quickly signed on, believing it to be the answer to America's decline.
Never used to continuous hard work, the two now found themselves at an advanced age in circumstances foreign to their routine. Baker was busy tending to his farm; Oetting was engrossed in the challenges of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. Baker and his wife had joined O.U.T.R.A.G.E. and introduced Article XVI, a resolution urging the escalation of the "war" on poverty in America.
It had been one of the most defining moments of the process as the crusty old farmer and his wife had presented a comprehensive outline of the steps necessary to break the stranglehold poverty held on the nation.
In a moment of incredulous irony, word was received that both Phil Baker and Ron Oetting had died within minutes of each other on the first day of spring, Friday, March 21, 2008. Baker had been slopping pigs in Iowa, slipped and fell face first into the area of the farm he affectionately called "the pigs' shitter". Oetting was visiting a rural Indiana horse farm distributing O.U.T.R.A.G.E. literature when the Amishman he was waiting to see lost control of his horse-driven wagon. Oetting tried to stop the run-away horse, but was trampled as the horse and wagon slammed into the barn. The wagon was filled with fresh horse manure, which literally buried Oetting alive. The death certificates of both men listed causes of death as "accidental".
It seemed to be a fitting end to two men who enjoyed getting 'shit-faced' together so frequently.

Article XI had introduced a resolution on Saturday, February 2, 2008, to relocate the headquarters of the federal government to Lebanon, Kansas. An 1898 geographic land survey had concluded this was the "geographic center of the 48 contiguous U.S. states" and a small monument had been erected to designate the site as such. Adjacent to a pasture that often was inhabited by a nearby herd of cows, the site attracted scant attention, which was just fine with most local residents. There was a small "Chapen of the Center" where visitors were invited to peruse an open Bible and meditate if they so chose. A picnic table was parked nearby where some local residents would come for a Sunday outing and ocassional passers-by would rest before resuming their journey. Locals were content to go on about their lives without fanfare, in relative obscurity. 99% of American citizens, if asked where the exact center of the U.S.A. was located, probably wouldn't have a clue - and even fewer thought it appropriate to plan a visit to the site.
On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, everything changed. American voters had overwhelmingly approved the resolution. The referendum became law, and O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members immediately converged on the little town to begin planning for the relocation of the federal government's central operations. Eight days later, the massive hurricane that traveled up the eastern coast of the United States completely obliterated Washington, D.C. In a matter of minutes, the task of building a new government center became crucial. After the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bombings, the White House and the Capitol Building had been demolished, but many other government buildings remained standing which could have served as temporary government headquarters while new facilities were planned and consructed. Now the nation's capital was reduced to a ruck of rubble and still-smoldering rubbish. Only a miracle had preserved some of the most significant memorials and monuments; everything else was laid to waste as one might imagine the cities of Soddom and Gomorrah to look after God's wrath had been unleashed on those Biblical hotspots of sin and corruption.
O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members had scoured the town of Lebanon, Kansas searching for available land. Among the thousands of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were architects, real estate agents, contractors and other professionals who could serve as catalysts for bringing this project together quickly. Individuals from all walks of life had skills to contribute; building a new nation's capital would truly become the work of the people. When folks in Lebanon learned what was happening, a surprising thing transpired: before this cataclysmic series of events, the 'normal' procedure would have been to put land up for sale at obscenely inflated prices. The rationale would be to get as much as one could for his property; now the rationale had shifted to one of patriotism and national cooperation. Farmers with adjoining land offered to donate all or a portion of their properties to the project. The Lebanon town council held an emergency session and passed legislation which provided local property owners with tax rebates and other incentives for relinquishing their land. Even land owned by the town was deeded ver to the federal government. Offers poured in from around the country offering to buy nearby available land from owners who couldn't afford to give it away; these new buyers, in turn, were offering to donate the land to the government instead of trying to make "a killing" on an impormptu land investment.
In St. Kitts, meanwhile, a panel of expert planners were busy creating a whole new concept of a centralized government that only served as a small hub; elected members of Congress would not move to Lebanon, Kansas. Instead, they would all be connected by strikingly similiar technologies as those that had been used to blow up most of the central government in Washington, DC. Members of Congress would remain in their hometown communities, close to their constituents, and far removed from the influences of powerful lobbyists, well-organized special interest groups, wealthy individuals, and swaggering executives and representatives of big business. Planning the physical construction of the new nation's capitol wouldn't be nearly as challenging as planning the organizational structure of how all Americans would now become more integrated into their government's activities. From now on, most issues involving the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government would be put to a referendum. A non-binding resolution would be introduced, after which a public vote would take place. Elected officials would then vote the resolution into law...and God help the Representative or Senator who voted against the desires of his constituency!
O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was methodically transforming the United States of America from a republic form of government into a true democracy - perhaps to become one of the purest forms of democracy ever to be established in the history of the world.

Saturday, March 22, 2008 was a typically busy day for O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members across the nation, and at the organization's headquarters in St. Kitts. One of the most important pieces of legislation was the result of Article I, the very first non-binding resolution that had been introduced on Wednesday, January 23, just six days afer the explosions that had rocked America.
Entitled "Tke the 'Con' Out of Congress". the resolution called for dramatic changes the status of elected members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. These "honorable" people would no longer be treated like some kind of royalty, but instead be treated as what they were supposed to be: public servants. In 1992 when H. Ross Perot ran for President and captured 19% of the popular vote, one of his most endearing and emphastic statements to the voters was, "I will be your servant." He chastized "career politicians", and - out of sheer fear of losing - incumbents quickly joined Perot's bandwagon, claiming they, too, were not "career politicians". Suddenly Presidential candidates were being photographed in farm fields wearing blue jeans and plaid flannel shirts. Some touted their family heritages, coming from hard-working families who toiled in American factories, paid their taxes, and went to war when their country called.
Many, such as Congressman Mark Souder from Indiana, promised to voluntarily limit their terms in office, only to renege on that promise once they'd comfortably settled into the extravagance of public office. Souder, who claimed Amish roots,easily was re-elected to a political life of privilege, wealth and status, apparently in blind denial over the Amish community's adamant resistence to materialism, war, and all things modern. Hubris, greed, arrogance, and sloth easily trumped the Amish beliefs in humility, simplicity, honor, and hard work. Souder, of course, was one of the 533 members of Congress who had perished in the 'Rebellion of '08", viewed by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. as one of those Americans who contributed little to society while squandering the wealth, power, influence and status they had achieved, all on themselves, their families and friends without regard to the hundreds of millions of 'common', 'average' American citizens.
Members of Congress disdained those 'common folks' and invested very little time with such average people unless there was the possibility of a photo opportunity. Most average American citizens held the same kind of disdain for their elected officials, knowing politicians - even the 'decent' ones - to be snared in a snakepit of salacious sanctimony. Voting was not the answer; most Americans only viewed voting as a means of replacing one cesspool with another. Votes were traded for favors; lobbyists, special interest groups, wealthy elitists, and big business guaranteed the votes in return for beneficial legislation. The American Medical Association, AARP, big tobacco lobbying firms, agribusiness interests, the National Rifle Association, pharmaceutical companies, and the giant media conglomerates were all sucking off the taxpayers' teat thanks to the power they held over politicians. Corporate welfare was alive and well in America, costing taxpayers hundreds of billions more than all of the social welfare programs combined. Yet, every time someone tried to pass a bill that would help a single mother raise her three children, or give the lowest-paid workers a raise in their minimum wage, it was drowned in defeat.
Political corruption was the most banal of public outrages against the federal government.
Now there was an opportunity to start all over, electing new members of Congress who would dedicate themselves to being public servants instead of corporate lackies.
Across America, people with little or no political experience were being recruited, being asked to run for Congress in the upcoming November elections. These would be people from the local communities with records of community service. Perhaps they'd served on the City Council, sat on the Board of the local Chamber of Commerce, or had been a volunteer member of the local Lions Club. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. scouts searched for people with a deep sense of community and concern, people who not normally would have ever even considered running for public office simply because they didn't want to attach themselves to the stench. Many prospective candidates may have run their own successful businesses; some may have been managers or supervisors at local factories. Some had successfully raised a family and managed a household. One thing was evident: those exhibiting even the slightest appearance of having extended political ambitions were immediately suspect. The goal was to limit an elected official's term in office, send him (or her) back home, and keep the entanglements of political nepotism from resurfacing. In fact, the most sought-after candidates were often people who had no interest in becoming involved in the political system.
To repeat Thomas Jefferson's old adage was appropriate. The tree of liberty was about to be refreshed. The blood of patriots and tyrants had been spilled. Now was a time for renewal.

On Friday morning, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. televised a panel discussion chaired by John McCain. At the head table were several notable scientists, meteorologists, and environmentalists. Eight long tables stretched from the podium, parked diagonally so that all those seated could easily see those seated at the head table. Microphones were in front of each attendee. McCain introduced the panel and made a brief opening statement: "We are here today to discuss environmental issues that are of a concern to the entire world. Officials representing at least forty nations are gathered here in St. Kitts for this open dialogue. As we all know, the issue of global warming has generated hot debate over the past ten years. Scientists have warned that global warming is a real issue - and if we don't deal with it soon, many learned experts believe that within ten years or less it will be too late to reverse course. Our planet is on a treacherous field. We urge citizens, professional environmentalists, and leaders of every nation on Earth to join us in this quest. Anyone present is invited to comment or make remarks at will. We would, however, request that the dialogue be kept civil and polite."
While there was no real legal structure to this meeting, it was at least a very big first step in addressing an issue that had been the butt of late-night talk show hosts' jokes for years. On Tuesday, February 5. 2008, Article XIV had introduced a resolution calling for the expansion of the EPA's role in government. On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, voters passed the formal legislation by an overwhelming 88%. Now the United States was inviting ohter countries to join the crusade in educating people about global warming and other environmental issues.
"Today is the first day of spring," said a scientist from M.I.T. "It's fitting that we introduce this measure on this day, which was also the first Earth Day back in the 1970's." He proceeded to make a long, dull presentation full of facts and figures that had been pronounced hundreds of times before. One element of interest was a clip from the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", which former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore had helped develop in 2006. Underwritten by a young genius who had founded e-bay, the movie was well-received by the scientific community and applauded for its timeliness and accuracy. The public, however, paid scant attention to a film without any graphic sex or violence, raw language, or spectacular special effects.
Gore went on to establish an impressive elementary education program modeled after Junior Achievement, in which volunteers went into third and fourth-grade classes to teach kids about the environment. The first program had been launched at a school in Nashville, Tennessee on March 21, 2007. Today, on the first anniversary of the program, it was being taught in over a thousand schools nationwide by more tahn eight hundred volunteers.
The dialogue picked up momentum after the scientist left the lectern. Brisk, lively conversation continued for more than four hours as representatives from different countries and different cultures expressed a variety of opinions. Trying to get the world on a single track toward this vital issue was not going to be easy, but O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members seemed pleased to be able to faciitate this first-ever non-binding convention of the minds.
O.U.T.R.A.G.E. cameras were also focusing on similar, but smaller, round-table discussions around the huge hall. Topics as diverse as relocating the White House to dismantling the military-industrial complex were being discussed in earnest.
Meanwhile, clean-up continued on both American coasts. Search-and-rescue teams continued to uncover bodies as they trampled through the remnants of what used to be some of America's greatest metropolitan areas.

Wednesday was an uneventful day as the nation went about its business of cleaning up from two brutal natural disasters that had obliterated many of Ameica's largest and most dominate cities. Thursday, March 20, was equally uneventful. Even those thousands of people at O.U.T.R.A.G.E. headquarters were busily engaged in routine activities, but no new events were unfolding; in headier times, media moguls might have referred to it as "slow news days. Across America, people from all walks of life were beginning to contemplate their futures, and the future of their communities.
A City Manager in a small South Dakota town had invited residents into his office to share their thoughts on the cause and effect of current events. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, a regionally-renowned spiritualist and healer held daily "cleansings" where people could come and pray for the country while resolving to make personal commitments to such issues as global warming, the environment, the depletion of the ozone layer, and civilized communication. He urged his guests to reject their materialism and focus on a new-found dimension of "inner wealth" which enriched the spirit and disengaged from the drab, cold world of money, power, status, and influence.
Switzerland was being deluged with inquiries from local government leaders, inquiring about the Swiss government's "common-sense" approach to governing. After centuries of neutrality and relative obscurity, this tiny, beautiful country was beginning to be seen as a role model; without realizing it, the Swiss had written a fabulous "how-to" manual on how to effectively manage a government without intruding on the people who were being governed. While not flawless, the political system seemed to be one that might work well as America's cities, states, and regions began the ardent task of reforming the American way of casuistric government. It was time for America to step back and take a long, hard look at itself in the mirror. There was no cause or justification for such arrogance, greed, selfishness, and blatant braggadocio. America needed to become a nation of less magnitude; with a preponderance of its resources and influence now gone, this was the perfect time for a full-fledged reformation. Perhaps the 'Rebellion of '08' was the second American Revolution that had put all this into perspective and started the wheels rolling toward a better society.

Tuesday, March 18, 2006. Despite all the turmoil and chaos in the country and around the world, many Americans managed to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with vigor and alcohol-induced vitality. This year many St. Patrick's Day parades also became memorials to the millions of Americans who had died since the beginning of the year. Of course, many millions of citizens were too busily engaged in search-and-rescue operations to take time out for any merrymaking. Festivities would have to wait until debris was cleared, fires were extinguished, injured were cared for, bodies were found, and dead were buried. The extraordinary efforts of the common citizen were taxed to the maximum, and American volunteers were holding up exceptionally well under the most adverse conditions. Surprisingly little looting, price-gouging or other criminal activity was reported. It was as if the country was pulling together in a display of astonishing unity. One man in LaCrosse, Wisconsin said it well: "If God thinks He can destroy our spirit with a little bit of catastrophe, He'd best think again. We're Americans and when the going gets tough, we're up to the task."

Economic chaos had been prevented even though most major banks national headquarters had been destroyed. The Federal Reserve continued to function, distributing money to smaller local and regional banks that happily accommodated all of the former Wells Fargo, National City, Chase, and Citibank customers. While there was some anxiety and moderate panic over how to access investments, savings accounts, and other financial instruments, the 'transition' had actually gone much more smoothly than O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members had anticipated. It was becoming crystal clear to everyone that "big" wasn't necessarily "better" (in fact, "big" was often the problem!). Most companies were still finding ways to meet payrolls and pay bills. Vendors and suppliers were being extremely flexible with payment terms and credit.

Amidst all the chaos came an unusual calm.

People were actually beginning to share their vehicles so that three or four neighbors would all go to the grocery at the same time in one car. It not only conserved gasoline; it also introduced a new civility to the national society. It no longer seemed to matter as much whether you were of a different color or creed. All that mattered was that everyone got along and made the effort to get through one more day. People were friendlier. Neighbors helped neighbors. America's apparent self-absorption attitudes seemed to be dissolving into attitudes of helping one another and looking out for someone other than one's self.

America was showing outward signs of reformation and cleansing. Could it be possible to heal a whole country- perhaps an entire world - and return a "kinder, gentler" global culture to mankind?

The 10,000th U.S. soldier was killed in Iraq today. Ever since George Bush had proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" in 2005, Iraqi insurgent continued to escalate the fighting. Peace was not anymore at hand now than it was when the Bush administration had illegally and unconstitutionally invaded Iraq just over five years ago. Rebels involved in that civil war were using the same kind of small bombs that O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members had used, and denotaing them with cell phones, just as O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had done; proof-positive that a well-equipped military was really not needed any longer to inflict casualties and immense damage. All that was necessary were a few phones and some materials easily picked up at almost any hardware store. American troop morale was down; desertions were up. Powell had never mentioned the war games in yesterday's address.

Fighting in Iran had begun in earnest, just a few short months after the late George W. Bush had ordered troops to invade that country on the premise that military aerial photos proved Iran was builidng a nuclear reactor near a remote village just south of the city of Shiraz, and directly across the Persian Gulf from Manama, Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Turkey, and Turkmenistan were all involved in on again-off again skirmishes. The Israelis were still at war with the Lebanese after countless cease-fire agreements since fighting first broke out in the summer or 2006. The once-beautiful resort city of Beirut was reduced to a garbage pit of rubble and ash. Smaller conflicts dotted the world's map in sudden 'hot spots' such as Botswana, Cuba and Uruguay. It seemed the whole world was fighting with someone, prompting many people to question whether we were on the verge of World War III.

In May, 2007 a major earthquake had struck Mongolia, but because its epicenter was in the middle of the Gobi Desert, few deaths were reported and little damage had be done. Seven huge volcanic eruptions had littered parts of the Earth since February, 2007, killing thousands in the Phillipines, the Hawaiian Islands, Indonesia and the Federated Sates of Micronesia. In the summer of 2006, a severe drought in southwest China left seventeen million residents of Chonqing and Sichuan without enough clean drinking water. Because of the government's inability to respond, thousands perished.
During that same season, terrorists had been foiled from a plot to explode planes leaving from Britain's Heathrow Airport entroute to the United States. Using simple dime-store devices and cheap cell phones, the plan was to denoate the bombs once the planes were in the air. British and American officials had been working together on the case for months, and heated arguments arose as to when arrests should be made. British law enforcement experts wanted to wait; American officials were anxious to make the arrests. Many believed their impatience was more because George Bush needed to boost his dismal approval ratings prior to the upcoming mid-term elections in the fall. If Republicans lost their grip on the House and the Senate, much of Bush's war-mongering would be deflated by Democrats eager to show voters how they would stop the war.
There was always the conspiracy factor: many believed this had all been orchestrated by the Bush administration in an attempt to heighten the Bush 'doctrine' that America could never stop being vigilant. Terrorists were everywhere, and Bush needed to keep reinforcing that message in order to continue to get funding for his Homeland Security programs and his war efforts.

It seemed the world was falling apart at its seams. Since the beginning of the new century, statisticians estimated over twenty million people had died in wars or natural disasters around the world. Colin Powell was right when he said yesterday, "Warring is no longer a viable option toward peace."

World governments had to start working together on environmental issues, needs of the populace, and social issues. There was no room in the world anymore for coddling those who had money or power; we could no longer afford to favor special interest groups with their own personal agendas; big business was going to have to learn to pay its fair share - or more - of taxes from the excessive profits being generated. Like it or not, "sharing the wealth" was about to become mandatory, not only in the United States, but across the globe.

Sunday, March 16, 2008 was about to become one of the most memorable days in United States history since the days of the American Revolution when courageous statesmen, soldiers, and citizens came together and declared independence from Great Britain. As O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members mingled around the St. Kitts headquarters readying themselves for the upcoming address from Interim President Colin Powell, technicians were busy setting up and testing feeds to all the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. "field sites" in restaurants, gymnasiums, community centers, schools and libraries around the nation. This address would also be carried by most of the operating television stations; since the announcment yesterday, there was optimistic speculation that Powell was going to do something spectacular. Random unscientific surveys indicated that the audience was huge - perhaps as many as two hundred million people in the U.S.A. would be listening and watching. O.U.T.R.A.G.E. was also gearing up to broadcast this telecast worldwide. At precisely 10:00 a.m. Powell stepped forward and faced the cameras. Dressed crisply in his military uniform, adorned with all of his medals of commendation, Powell stood at a lectern at the center of a podium where more than nine dozen others faced him at a diagonal angle. His face looked squarely into the camera as he opened his address:

"My fellow Americans, and all citizens of the planet Earth who may be watching, I welcome you with a heavy heart. The great United States of America has suffered a series of devastating events in recent times. On January 17, 2008, President George W. Bush, Vice-President Richard Cheney, and 533 members of our United States Congress were among hundreds of thousands of other citizens who were killed in a succession of technologically-devised bombings that impacted on virtually every major community in our country. Bombs made from cheap readily-available materials and remotely-controlled by cheap cell phones were set off, with the full intent to murder and maim innocent citizens. This mayhem was planned, implemented, and executed with astounding precision and meticulous accuracy by a group of several hundred thousand other U.S. citizens who believed they had a patriotic duty to take matters into their own hands. As I have stated before, what they did was - in my mind - inexcusable, immoral, unjust, and despotic.
On Wednesday, January 23, this group - whom I intentionally refuse to identify by name because I believe that would give credence to their evil deeds - began to introduce the first of 25 articles, each article being a non-binding resolution which would then be put before American voters. On President's Day, a resolution was introduced to elect me as your Interim President until new elections can be held in November. On Tuesday, March 4, 2008 I was elected to that post by an overwhelming majority of those who voted. Arizona Senator John McCain was elected Interim Vice-President at that same time. Twenty five resolutions were introduced, all of which were passed into law on March 4, again by an overwhelming majority of those who voted. As we began the ardent task of rebuilding and reforming our nation, our country was hit by an unprecedented and unseasonable hurricane which obliterated most of our eastern coast cities. Less than ten days later an enormous earthquake ripped through the greater Los Angeles area of southern California. These three events - only one of which was not a natural disaster - have decimated our nation. Millions of people are dead. Millions more are injured. Millions more will suffer permanent or long-term psychological repercussions from the results of all this chaos.
We want to thank all of our citizens from the heartland of our great country who have voluntarily brought themselves to both coasts in an extraordinary outpour of communal giving. We also owe a great debt of sincere gratitude to all the people of all the other nations on Earth who have so generously sent manpower, supplies, food, and equipment to help us deal with this crushing continuum of cataclysmic catastrophies. The United States of America owes the world a huge debt, and as clean-up crews and rescue missions continue around-the-clock, we wish to begin the process of healing our own nation and bringing the world together for important work that can no longer be delayed or neglected.
The last article of resolution that was introduced on Tuesday, February 26 was intended to offer an apology to the world. It is that point where the United States now wishes to begin. Formal legislation has been passed by American voters and a "Declaration of Apology to the World" was drafted. Signed and numbered copies of this declaration have been delivered to every one of the 193 recognized sovereing nations on the planet. Heads of State or other official representatives of 108 of those countries are seated before me today. To all of you - and to all of the other 85 nations of the world who could not be represented at this auspicious occasion - on behalf of all the citizens of the United States of America, I respectfully and humbly offer this official document as permanent witness that what we have done in the name of our 'superpower' prowess has often been less than decent, moral, or justifiable. For the harm we have inflicted upon the world, we profusely apologize.
While some may perceive this as a sign of weakness during a time of incredible atrocity, we view this as perhaps one of our country's strongest moments. For the first time since our own Revolutionary and Civil wars, Americans are beginning to come together in search of a fresh purpose and new beginning.
What we have done in the name of honor, God, justice and democracy has - at times - been less than apropriate. Along with our formal apology to the world, we are also making this pledge: the United States of America will from this day forward try to be a better citizen of the world promoting only those causes which will benefit mankind collectively. We are calling on all of the nations of the world to join us in this quest. As proof of our commitment to this mission, we have already begun to dismantle our military-industrial complex. We cannot expect to ask other nations to discontinue their weapons programs, diminish their own defense systems and stop nuclear proliferation if we don't intend to do so ourselves. Therefore, I have ordered all nuclear weapons of mass destruction stockpiled in the United States and its territories to be destroyed. We will invite press and representatives from any nation on Earth to be present to witness these projects so that the world can be assured that we have done what we said we would do. This process will take many months, but it will be ongoing and it will be continuously under public scrutiny at all times. Under the Freedom of Information Act, all records will be made available to the public, or anyone requesting such information without deletions due to national security interests.
We have already had commitments from many of allies who have agreed to begin the same process of elimination within their own countries. We urge all other countries of the world to follow suit - and we encourage it to be a public process wherein anyone can participate in witnessing such programs of elimination. The world can no longer live under the threat of nuclear annihilation. The United States was the first and only country to use atomic weaponry to defeat an enemy. Warring is no longer a viable option toward peace. We have seen too much devastation and mayhem caused by madmen who innocuously believed that conflicts could be resolved with guns and ammunition, bombs, tanks, missiles, and fighter jets. Fighting never enriched any nation; it only served to enrich those corporations who manufactured the killing devices. I served under the late George W. Bush as Secretary of State. I devoted my life to the military principles. I now believe that the massive war machines and military might so many countries have nurtured must now be used only for peaceful and productive purposes. From now on, the United States military will be used to further service and implement social and environmental needs of the world. We will lay down our arms and pick up our shovels, working toward making this entire planet a more pleasant place in which to live. Our primary focus will be on crucial needs so necessary to save this world from self-destruction:
1. Environmental issues will take absolute top priority in an effort to preserve and protect the delicate ecological balances between man, plants and animals so that we all may co-exist in harmony, as Nature intended. REuse, REturn, and REcycle programs will be initiated. Global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer will be given priority attention.
2. Infrastructures throughout the world will be rebuilt and streamlined to allow for better commerce and connections among all nations of the Earth.
3. The United Nations building in New York City has been completely destroyed by the hurricane. All that's left standing is a weakened shell of the structure. We invite all the nations of the world to join in forming a new coalition to share in reforming our international idealogies so that all mankind can exist in harmony and mutual cooperation toward saving our planet instead of looking out just for ourselves.
4. Energy conservation among all industrialized nations will take on a new precedence. We propose that nations work together for the good of the world in trying to consume less of our Earth's natural resources.
5. While we're very good at creating symposiums for defense and domination, we have been less successful in working toward mutual advantages that might best serve mankind. We urge all nations of the world to join us in creating such new projects.
Yes, there will be many who are going to accuse the United States of this 'change of heart' only because it finds itself weak and vulnerable right now. Perhaps to some extent that's true. But we firmly believe that we have ignored many of these world-wide issues for too long. Perhaps these events have served as the catalyst to remind us of our place in the world, and to force us to recognize how we've abused our 'superpower' status in the past. The five initiatives are just the first step; there will be others. But, as we needed the help of our American citizenry during these past few months, we now need the help of the entire world as our country recovers. We cannot fully recover without doing right by the world. May the divine powers by which you seek your own spirituality and inner peace guide you toward committed involvement in this new enterprise.
Thank you."
Commentators immediately scrambled to deliver their own versions of Powell's address. Critics called it self-serving; those who believed the open intent of the proposals put foward highly praised Powell's efforts. Behind the scenes, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were working with officials from all 193 nations of the world to quickly implement change.
The rest of the day - and into the night - was devoted to round-table discussions, call-in segments, and reviews of such an extraordinary supplication. Television stations around the world, newspapers in every major market on the globe, and even radio stations joined in the fray. Could this possibly work? The world had been at war for so long, it seemed unimagineable that everyone could come together toward a more productive common goal.

Things were far from 'normal' on the west coast of the United States. The earthquake had made Los Angeles look like a Lebanese war zone. Reports were sporadic, but officials were now estimating the death toll to be upwards of half-a-million. Hospitals were overwhelmed with injured patients who had suffered everything from minor bruises to broken bones and massive head injuries as a result of the quake. One man was transported to a hospital with part of the "W' from the famous "Hollywood" sign imbeded in his head. He explained that he had been on an early morning hike in the hills just below the sign when the quake struck. As the huge letters showered down on him, shattered bits and pieces knocked him to the ground. The point from the apex of the "W" darted toward him like an arrow; "before I could move," he explained, "the damn thing was stuck in my skull." He confessed to not feeling much pain, just some minor discomfort, almost headache-like symptoms. He really wasn't too concerned - in fact, he sat there in a chair offering to wait while more critical incoming patients were attended to, a generous gesture under the circumstances, which the nurses and emergency room attendants appreciated. Almost an hour went by before someone checked on the man again. His face clogged with coagulated blood, the man was dead.

Dead bodies littered the streets. Collapsed buildings littered the streets. Los Angeles was virtually reduced to litter. Even the buildings that had been rennovated and brought up to code after the last major earthquake, more than a decade before, were twisted into mishapen, mangled monuments of mass destruction. No one had prepared for an earthquake measuring 9.4 on the Richter Scale. Viewers of what was coming to be known as "the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. Channel" saw various images and listened to a motley group of reporters who were piecing together their segments amid colossal ruin. Bodies of people impaled on what were once steel reinforcing rods inside poured concrete forms of luxurious buildings burned graphic images into the minds of millions of viewers. Sometimes an earthquake "expert" would come in front of the TV cameras and try to explain what had happened, but it was all-too-often someone who was at a loss for words. It was if no one believed that California could be hit by such a dramatic disaster; 9.4 earthquakes were supposed to happen in remote villages at the crests of mountains which would only kill a few thousand villagers who still used oxen to carry wooden water buckets. This kind of tragedy couldn't be possible in the 'civilized' world of Los Angeles.

People were still mingling around trying to make sense of it all, trying to comprehend what had happened. Walking in a daze, some victims inadvertently stumbled over the dead bodies of people or animals. Rescue teams tried to recruit as many surviviors as they could to help with the effort, but some people were simply too "out of it" to be useful. They were allowed to wander around aimlessly, sometimes only getting in the way. One LAPD official stated on camera that "this mess isn't going to be cleaned up anytime soon. It's going to take us years." A famous Fox News 'commentator', Ann Coulter, who had rocked the world two years ago by writing a controversial book, happened to be in L.A. for the taping of a special series of programs denouncing the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. organization. In an ironic twist of fate, similar to how Rush Limbaugh's dead, bloated body was found, the petite blonde "mouthpiece" had been buried under a mountain of her own books, which had been set up as a visual for the broadcast. She had vehemently stung those whose spouses had died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center twin towers in New York, claiming that they were capitalizing on the tragic events surrounding their family members' deaths. Now, Coulter, whose abrasive, insulting mannerisms made her a "hate monger" on Fox News and a sought-after guest for TV talk shows, was killed by a box full of books which she had written, capitalizing on that very same disaster. When the studio shook, she fell to the floor; the table and the books slammed down on top of her, suffocating her in a pile of her own gluttonous grab for money and fame. Reportedly, several people nearby might have been able to save her by simply clearing away the books and pulling the table off her. These people, however, had just been mercilessly yelled at and chastized for not responding to Coulter's insipid demands fast enough; they chose not to respond to her wimpy pleas for help with any speed at all. "Let the bitch die," said one stage hand, "the world is better off.'

Reports continued through the night. Then an announcement came at 10:00 p.m. Saturday: Colin Powell would address the nation on tomorrow morning, at 10:00 a.m.

By 3:00 a.m. on Friday, March 14, Philadelphia got slammed by the unrelenting hurricane that had pounded the east coast of America for days. By 6:00 a.m. it had moved up the coast and was obliterating New York City. Other than a few insurance companies headquarter in the "City of Brotherly Love", O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bombs had not targeted many structures in Philly. New York, on the other hand, had been the victim of ungodly destruction. Now the hurricane threatened to destroy what precious little was left standing of the Big Apple. One of the few structures left unscathed was the Empire State Building; that was to be the case after the hurricane blew through. Manhattan was battered beyond recognition; many compared the scene to that from Kirt Russell's 1970's movie, 'Escape from New York'. By 9:00 a.m., the brunt of the vicious storm was over. All that remained was high winds and water past the waist. And, of course even more rubble. The storm was now headed toward New Haven, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Boston, Massachusetts. Experts expressed varying opinions. Some said the storm would blow itself out to sea again. Others predicted all three cities would suffer similar damage to that of Philadelphia and New York. Most viewers realized the 'experts' didn't know anything more than anyone else. It was a crap shoot. This hurricane had been unpredictable since it first churned into a cataclysmic catastrophe in the southern most part of the Caribbean Islands' chain.

O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members were working 'round the clock trying to keep their telecasts on the air. While work crews repaired damage to the St. Kitts 'headquarters', broadcasts continued to be fed to television stations across the United States. Reports from all over the country were pouring in from O.U.T.R.A.G.E. members in the field. Some people were beginning to question whether this group of hi-tech rebels were actually capable of pulling everything together that needed to be done. Rebuilding a country that had been destroyed by a "revolution" was challenge enough. Now O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had to deal with a hurricane and a major earthquake.

Interim President Colin Powell ordered specialized military aircraft to fly over the eastern seaboard and take aerial photos of al the damage from the southern tip of Florida all the way to New York. The photos revealed unimaginable images. Because the planes flew at very lo altitudes, graphic evidence of the storm's victims was often clearly visible. Dead bodies littered the streets, massive buildings were crumbled like oyster crackers into a bowl of clam chowder. Even these photos showed how rescue workers were overwhelmed - and beaten down - by all the things they'd been through in less than 60 days. Older viewers who saw these photos couldn't help but compare them to photos taken over Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the U.S. had dropped atomic bombs on those two Japanese cities sixty-three years ago. Hardly anything was recognizable, even in such recognizable cities as Washington, DC and New York. Smaller cities in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia had literally been blown off the maps. The aerial views couldn't even identify some coastlines anymore since the oceans seemed to have regurgitated themselves onto the land mass.

On the ground, people struggled to navigate mountains of water. Thousands were still clinging to remnants of roofing, builidng materials, and household goods like a drowning victim would cling to a life preserver. Some had remained in the freezing, stagnant water for days by now, but there was no other way. If they dared let go, they would drown. The stench of death permeated communities, large and small. While the death toll was going to be massive, it was still going to be a lot worse than could be expected. Afterall, there had been sufficient warning, and many millions of residents had been able to leave their coastal communities for areas more inland.

Help was coming from across the seas. The governments of Great Britain, France, Spain and Italy had already dispatched cargo planes and ships full of volunteers, supplies, food, and medicine. From all over the United States, nurses, doctors, rescue workers, and just plain average citizens were heading toward the east coast to offer their muscle, manpower, and materials. Truckloads of everything was on its way. A manager of a Lowe's store in Columbia, South Carolina that had somehow managed to escape total destruction took it upon himself to open the store and give anything to anybody. "Sure,' he acknowledged, "there might be some rascals that will take advantage. But people need help and they need it now." When his superiors at Lowe's North Carolina headquarters heard about the manager's generosity, he was fired and escorted from his store.

By 6:00 p.m. the storm had destroyed New Haven, Providence and Boston, then veered to the east again and headed out to sea. By midnight, it was nothing more than a heavy downpour and some rocky winds. By the time it reached the southern tip of Novia Scotia, the storm had completely petered out. Record books would certainly recall this as the worst hurricane to him the eastern seaboard in modern historical times. A 'Category 7' storm, it would be remembered in the hearts and minds of those who suffered through it for the rest of their lives. Now, things could get back to 'normal'.